This invention relates generally to power systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus of suppressing electrical transients on electrical buses.
At least some known power systems include equipment that when energized, induce a momentary spike in the electrical parameters on the electrical bus or buses of the power system. On More Electric Aircraft (MEA), power transients due to the normal operation of electrically powered actuators cause the main electrical bus voltage to exceed the voltage limits specified in applicable design standards. Such excursions on a main bus voltage may result in an upset of other electrical equipment receiving power from the bus, for example, avionics.
Some known solutions for handling the aircraft electrical bus voltage excursions require the use of either large banks of batteries or banks of capacitors. These solutions have practical limitations due to weight that could exceed 400 pounds (181.44 kg), performance limitations, maintenance issues, and undesirable failure modes.